U.S. ambassador to Pakistan stepping down this summer

Movin’ out: The U.S. ambassador to Pakistan Cameron Munter is stepping down from his post this summer after two years, amidst reports that he is frustrated with the feeling that the CIA and Pentagon call the shots in the U.S.-Pakistan relationship, forcing Munter to deal with the consequences instead of making policy (ET, Reuters, AP, WSJ). The White House is reportedly considering as Munter’s replacement Richard Olson, who has headed American economic and development efforts in Afghanistan since June 2011.

The provincial parliament in the Pakistani province of Punjab on Wednesday unanimously approved a resolution to reinstate Bahawalpur Province and to create a new Province in South Punjab (Dawn, ET, The News). Militants in North Waziristan Agency distributed pamphlets on Tuesday promising to continue their jihad to mark the one-year anniversary of Osama bin Laden’s death (ET, AFP).

Iran is pushing Afghanistan to cancel a newly signed strategic partnership agreement with the United States by threatening to deport Afghan refugees and migrant workers if the Afghan parliament approves the pact (WSJ, AFP). Iran’s ambassador to Afghanistan told the Afghan parliament last week not to ratify the agreement, and a spokesman for the Iranian Foreign Ministry said Sunday that the continued presence of U.S. troops in Afghanistan would further destabilize the country.

The price of Afghan opium is likely to rise as security forces prepare to launch renewed eradication efforts, a fungus has infected the crop in the top-producing provinces of Farah, Helmand, and Kandahar, and international demand for heroin continues to increase (Reuters). As opium becomes more valuable, more Afghan farmers will be drawn to cultivating it, and farmers will be more resistant to eradication efforts, says Zarar Ahmad Muqbel Osmani, the Afghan Minister of Counter Narcotics.

Afghan officials said Wednesday that seven Afghan policemen, four employees of the Ministry of Education, and one body guard were killed in three separate attacks in Logar, Farah, and Paktika Province on Tuesday (Dawn, The News, AFP).

Prime profits

Pakistani Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani, who was recently embroiled in a political controversy resulting in his conviction for contempt of court, recently reported his personal finances to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ET). The figures, published on Tuesday, show that Gilani’s total net worth is just Rs20 million (U.S. $220,000), and that he owns no cars, claims that the Pakistani media says are probably massive underestimates. 

— Jennifer Rowland